Chelsea: Tuchel 'adamant' to keep £30m star after Azpilicueta at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel rates Armando Broja highly and wants to keep him at Stamford Bridge beyond this summer, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

The Blues youngster has been linked away from the club throughout the summer window, but Phillips reckons that a potential exit has come from the Albania international’s side.

Having caught the eye during a fruitful spell at Southampton last season, in which he scored nine goals in all competitions, Broja has attracted interest from several Premier League teams.

According to the Daily Mail, both Everton and West Ham are interested in the 20-year-old, who’s valued at £30m.

But Tuchel recently spoke publicly during Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the US about Broja’s future and made it clear that Broja is not for sale.

He said: “Armando is our player first of all and we have, at the moment, no interest in selling him. He is here to make an impression after he was on loan at Southampton.”

Despite his comments, Broja has hardly featured in pre-season, only making his first appearance against Udinese last week, although that was partly down to an injury.

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Despite intense speculation surrounding his future, Phillips has reiterated that Tuchel thinks highly of him and doesn’t want him to leave before September’s transfer deadline.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I’ve been told many times that Tuchel really rates Broja highly and he wants him to stay.

“The whole leaving thing has come more from Broja’s side than anywhere else because Tuchel is adamant that he wants to keep him.”

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